Men's Basketball Set to Tangle with Tigers
12/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Tuesday night, the USC Upstate men's basketball team will play Auburn in the first of two non-conference games before the Spartans re-enter conference play when the calendar flips to 2011.
In the Spartans last outing they found themselves in a 19-point hole to Campbell but rallied to cut the deficit to just three with about a minute to play. The Camels sank four free throws in the final 27 seconds to claim the 67-60 victory.
Upstate is 0-3 all-time against teams from the Southeastern Conference (Georgia, 0-1; South Carolina 0-2).
Spartan Tip-Off…
• Freshman Torrey Craig led all scorers on Thursday night as he tied a career-high with 19 points against the Camels.
• Freshman Chandler Hash is averaging 6.3 ppg over the last three games and he set a career-high against NC State with 12 points behind a 4-for-5 performance from beyond the three point arc.
• Freshman Babatunde Olumuyiwa has 34 blocks on the season, placing him ahead of six different A-Sun team totals (Mercer - 31, ETSU - 30, North Florida - 26, Lipscomb - 20, Stetson - 16, Florida Gulf Coast - 14).
• Senior Mezie Uzochukwu surpassed the 700 career point plateau at NC State as he became the 39th player in school history to accomplish that feat.
• Through the first 10 games of the season, a Spartan newcomer has led the team in scoring in all but one game (Michigan - Chalmers Rogers).
Today's Opponent – Auburn
Auburn has lost its last three contests and owns a 3-7 mark in 2010-11. In the Tigers last three games, they have lost to Rutgers (L, 54-63), South Florida (L, 49-61) and Presbyterian College (L, 59-62).
Against teams from the Carolinas, Auburn is currently 0-3 (UNC Asheville, L, 69-70 (OT); Campbell, L, 54-61; Presbyterian College). Besides falling to Campbell, the Tigers also lost to A-Sun member Jacksonville (L, 55-69).
Andre Malone and Earnest Ross lead the Tigers with 12.7 ppg and 11.4 ppg, respectively. Ross leads Auburn in rebounding with 6.7 rpg.
Auburn's three victories this season have come against Middle Tennessee State (W, 68-66), Georgia Southwestern (W, 78-50) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (76-72).
